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We have Hoodoo Winter Carnival, a tradition at the ski resort northwest of Sisters for more than 40 years, in the opposite corner.

Winter Concert

Maestro Michael Gesme, longtime conductor and artistic director of Central Oregon Symphony, is always up for a challenge. In addition to his obvious musical acumen, Gesme also possesses a pretty sharp wit. So when GO! told him it would be fun to pit two events against each other for absolutely no reason at all other than their sharing weekend, the word “winter� and a bit of alliteration — carnival, concert — he was game.

Gesme noted that whether it’s the people in the chairs onstage or off, there are a wide range of players and spectators: “I know that we would likely be relatively equal in age of participants … with our orchestra spanning teens to 70s and our audience spanning very young tykes (especially at our annual , which happens on the same weekend) through some mighty spry octogenarians (and likely even older),� Gesme said in an email.

The Children’s Concert takes place at 10 a.m. Saturday, followed at 7:30 that evening by the first of two presentations of its Winter Concert program, repeating at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Tunes on the concert program include Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s “Variations on a Rococo Theme for Cello and Orchestra,� Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Concerto for Piano No. 20, and Manuel de Falla’s “The Three-Cornered Hat,� a ballet that will be presented with narration to convey the story.

The concert also features cellist Jan Vargas, double bassist Maggie Carter and pianist Avery Armstrong, winners of the C.O. Symphony’s annual Young Artists Competition, helping make the orchestra highly competitive “in the high-octane, adrenaline-rush category … performing their death-defying musical pyrotechnics on this concert. (They) not only amaze, but they will simply take your breath away with their artistry,� Gesme said.

So don’t bet against the Winter Concert, which in addition to having no lift lines or special equipment required, offers free coffee and cookies available at intermission.

Hoodoo Winter Carnival

hasn’t been around as long as the Central Oregon Symphony, but according to general manager Matthew McFarland, nobody knows exactly when the carnival began. It was more or less around 1981, according to information gleaned from old marketing materials. Records show that was the year the fireworks show began, at least.

“Nobody can remember if they did the carnival before fireworks or after fireworks,� McFarland said.

The free-to-attend carnival on Saturday is presented by CoEnergy Propane and will involve a multitude of game-like activities including ax throwing, obstacle races, bingo and frisbee golf alongside live performances by Leroy and the Sidekicks.

“It’s kind of our gift to the local community,� said Chuck Shepard, owner of the ski area.

Carnival events have evolved over the last four decades thanks to suggestions from Hoodoo’s community of riders and employees.

The ax-throwing event was the brainchild of Yarl Berg, who helped organize Hoodoo’s Viking festival, McFarland said. Berg brought his own axes to the first event and the ski area has held it ever since due to its popularity.

Additional events include musical chairs, a three-legged obstacle race, a hula-hoop contest, a ski javelin throw and a team tube race. The tubing race requires participants to lay on the snow on their stomachs and pull themselves across a flat course using only their hands.

“We really take all of our ideas from everybody — every employee, every customer — whoever, we just take everybody’s ideas and put them together,� McFarland said.

A highlight of the carnival is the torchlight descent. After night skiing concludes, the ski area lights will be switched off and the mountain will be illuminated by dancing lights as about 300 people descend the mountain holding red flares.

Shepard and McFarland agree that the most beloved event is the dummy downhill contest. Participants build a sled with a dummy that is then sent down the hill and over a jump, after which it typically meets its demise.

“Half of the fun is watching it crash. That’s always the best event for me,� McFarland said.

In conclusion

There’s really no losing with either the Winter Concert or the Winter Carnival. And because the latter takes place all day Saturday, and the former repeats on Sunday afternoon, there’s no reason you can’t attend both events.

Just don’t get your wires crossed and accidentally wear your skin onesie — it’s warm in Bend High’s auditorium — to the orchestra concert. And please refrain from shouting “bingo!� until the end of the concert.